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ABOUT THE EVENT

HANGTOWN 100 / PLACERVILLE SPEEDWAY

Nestled in an area known for bearing gold the El Dorado County Fairgrounds based Placerville Speedway will now be known as host of the richest three-day USAC Midget race in history, with the second annual Elk Grove Ford “Hangtown 100” set to take place on Thursday-Saturday November 16-18th, 2023.

The USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets/ USAC Western States Midgets will tackle the famed red clay all three nights, vying for a total purse of $150,000 plus contingencies.

“We are happy to make the announcement that the Hangtown 100 is moving to a weekend date and will be a three-night show this season,” said event Promoter Matt Wood. “We really enjoyed the inaugural running last year and thought it featured some incredible racing. I felt the first 50-laps during the finale was some of the best racing I have ever seen. We also wanted to send a special thanks to the Empty Bowls Foundation of Placerville for working with the Hangtown 100 on the weekend date and they will be the official charity of our event.”

Levi Jones with the United States Auto Club also spoke about the Hangtown 100 heading into the second year saying, “We look forward to building on the great momentum from the inaugural event, as we head into year two with an added day and additional prize money. It makes for an incredible end of the year on the Western Swing with so many great USAC Midget events including Arizona Speedway, Bakersfield, Placerville and Ventura.”

The Elk Grove Ford Hangtown 100 will add even more excitement by boasting a Trophy Cup style format, utilizing larger than normal inverts each night.

“We thought the inaugural Hangtown 100 went exceptionally well and are excited to host it once again this season,” commented Placerville Speedway Promoter Scott Russell. “Having it move to a weekend date is huge and adding in an extra night should be beneficial to all the competitors. We want to thank Elk Grove Ford, Royal Truck Body, PureCrop1 and all the sponsors that made the inaugural running possible this past season. I’d also like to thank Scott Schweitzer and Bakersfield Speedway for working with us to acquire the weekend date this coming season.”

Originally a gold mining camp known as Old Dry Diggins in 1848, the settlement earned its most common moniker of “Hangtown” in 1849 because of its reputation for vigilante justice carried out by hangings. After one such crime, an impromptu citizens jury met to consider the fate of the three accused. The jury wasted little time reaching a verdict, but the question was asked, what will be done to them. Someone shouted, “Hang them!”

The majority agreed, the historical precedent was set, and word quickly traveled, creating the famous and colorful Hangtown title. A milder name was then requested after a few years and in 1854 the city of Placerville was incorporated. The Placerville Speedway was originally known as Hangtown Speedway when it came into existence back in 1965. It took on the current name in the early 1980’s and has grown to be one of the more popular tracks in the region.

Future announcements regarding the event will also take place throughout the season.

The Placerville Speedway is located on the beautiful El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville, California. Take Hwy US-50 to Forni Road/Placerville Drive exit. Then go north on Placerville Drive to the Fairgrounds. The physical address is 100 Placerville Dr., Placerville, CA 95667. For more information on the Placerville Speedway log onto www.placervillespeedway.com

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